Updated 10:28 pm, Tuesday, September 2, 2014

MILFORD -- Convicted rapist Dardian Celaj feared media reports linking him to organized crime and that he would be deported to Albania when he failed to come to court for sentencing, so he hid out in Naugatuck, his lawyer said.

"The publicity about his possible connection with organized crime may have caused him not to appear for sentencing," said his lawyer Stephan Seeger. "The press accounts have generated a lot of fear in him."

But Celaj's failure to appear in state Superior Court on Aug. 1 means he now could face the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of the plea-bargained two to eight years at the next court hearing Sept. 17.

Celaj, 36, now held in lieu of a $1 million cash-only bond, was brought before Superior Court Judge John Ronan in handcuffs on Tuesday. State's Attorney Kevin Lawlor told the judge he intends to ask that Celaj be sentenced at the next court date.

Celaj, an Albanian national who ran a social club on Main Street in Derby, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault for raping a barmaid at the club on March 2, 2012.

At the time he pleaded guilty, he was released on bond, but warned by the judge that if he didn't show up for sentencing, instead of the plea bargain, he could face the maximum sentence for the crime -- 20 years.

"He was warned that the deal could be out the window," Seeger said.

But Seeger, who did not represent Celaj at the guilty-plea hearing, said he will ask the judge to throw out the plea, contending that his client didn't understand he could be deported as a result. Seeger said the lawyer who did represent Celaj at the plea hearing did not tell him he could be deported.

"At issue was the advice given so the client could understand the immigration consequences," he said.

Although Celaj was born in Albanian and retains citizenship there, Seeger said his client has spent more years in this country than there, and all his family are here. "That (deportation) could be a punishment that is worse than what he could even get in court," he said.

Despite the fact that a judge had warned Celaj he could be deported after pleading guilty, Seeger said that does not change the fact that Celaj's former lawyer did not adequately warn him of those consequences before Celaj pleaded guilty.

Celaj comes into court with a reputation from prosecutors as being associated with the Genovese crime family and Albanian organized crime figures.

He has six federal felony convictions stemming from his participation with Genovese associates for breaking into homes and robbing wealthy businessmen in New York and New Jersey. He cooperated with prosecutors in the case, received a suspended sentence and moved to this area, according to published reports.